Metal-annealing furnace.



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. MBTALANNEALING FURNAGE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 29, 19637.`

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f la llllit JN VENT 01.- @GAM/ H .m4 BI" ATTORNEY.

RICHARD H. WARD, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO.

METAL-ANNEALING FURNACE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11, 1908.

Application led January 29. 1907. Serial No. 354.652.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD H. WARD, a citizen of the Unitedl States,residing at Youngstown, in the county of Mahoning and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metal-Anneal.- ingFurnaces, of which the following isA a specification.

This invention relates to the art of annealing and has special referenceto an improvement in metal annealing furnaces.

To this end the invention contemplates a practical and effectiveimprovement in furnace construction for metal annealing purposeswherebyT the process of annealing may be carried out with greaterfacility, and more uniform ,results than in the ordinary types offurnaces utilizing the well known charging boX within which the metal issealed during the process of treatment. In this connection, the presentinvention has in view the equipment of a furnace structure with apermanent inner closed annealing oven or ovens arranged in a novel andeffecte ive relation to the furnace walls, and to the heat circulation,whereby the very best and most satisfactory results may be obtained.

With these and many other objects in view, which will more readilyappear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the sameconsists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of partshereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

The essential feature of the invention involved in the arrangement of`the inner closed annealing ovens within the main furnace casing isnecessarily susceptible to some structural modification withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, but for illustrative purposesa practical embodiment thereof is shown in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure l is a front end view (with the outer and inner `doors removed)of an annealing furnace constructed in accordance with the resentinvention'. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 2 2 ofFig. l, the View including the outer and inner doors respectively forthe mai-n furnace casing and the inner annealing ovens. Fig. 3 is avertical longitudinal sectional view through one of the side rows ofburner holes, the line of section being indicated by the line 3-3 inFig. 2. Fig. 4 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view of thefurnace on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Like references designate corresponding parts in the several figures ofthe drawings.

While the distinctive feature of the prese ent invention resides inarranging within the heat chamber of a furnace casing, one or moreclosed -annealing ovens spaced on all sides from the top Vand walls ofthe said casing, a practical and effective arrangement of the innerovens is illustrated in the construction shown in the drawings, and referring particularly thereto the numeral l designates the main outerfurnace casing built of fire brick or other refractory material andpreferably of a general rectangular form. This outer furnace casingessentially embodies in'its construction a base B for1n ing thefoundation upon which is built up the o posite side walls 2 of thecasing, the closer? rear end wall 3, the closed arched crown or furnacetop 4, and the front wall 5, in which latter is preferably formed a pairof `door openings 6 each of which is designed to be covered anduncoveredby the outer doors 7 having refractory or equivalent linings capable ofwithstanding the interior heat and at the same time serving to tightlyseal the door openings of the furnace.

The important feature of the present invention resides inl buildingpermanently within the interior heat chamber 8 confined within and bythe walls of the outer casing l, one or more inner closed annealingovens 9. In the double form of furnace shown in the drawings, there isone of the inner closed annealing ovens 9 arranged within the outercasing in line with one of the front door openings 6 so that the metalto be annealed can be introduced through each door opening directly toone of the ovens. The two ovens 9 are preferably duplicates in designand arrect y upon the furnace fioor'l() and consists of a rectangularcasing construction consisting ofy the closed side walls 1l, the closedrear end wall 12, and the closed arched crown or top portion I3, whilethe front end of each oven or oven casing is formed with a front dooropening 14 adapted to be covered and uncovered by the doors 15 providedwith refractory or equivalent linings which are capable of withstandingthe heat and at the same time effectually seal the opening in the frontend of the oven chamber. Like rangement and each of the same is builtdi* the main outer furnace casing 1 the body or casing of each closedannealing oven is preferably constructed of fire brick or equivalentmaterial, but in any form or con-.

struction, the said ovens 9 are spaced on all sides and at the top fromthe walls and top of the outer casing, so that upon the sides and at thetop and at the front and rear 'ends there are heat circulating spacesentirely about the ovens, thus subjecting the latter throughout theirentire extent, except on the floor 10 itself, to the action of the flameor heat, or both, within the interior heat chamber 8 of the furnacecasing or body.

In order to secure the most uniform and practical results in theannealing process, a feature of importance resides in the specialarrangement of the two ovens 9 in the main outer casing in theirrelation to each other and to the means employed forheating up thefurnace and maintaining a circulation therethrough. In the constructionshown,

l the'two ovens are arranged in spaced parallel relation within the heatchamber 8, and in kthe interval between the outer walls of the ovens andthe side walls of the furnace casing, the latter is provided in thefloor thereof with the side rows of alternating air and gas burner holes16 and 17. Hence there is a row of holes 16 and 17 piercing the floor ofthe furnace casing at each of the opposite sides thereof, and the sameare designed to furnish a supply of air and gas which mixes directlyover the plane of the holes and is ignited so that combustion vtherefromsupplies the necessary llame and heat for heating the inner ovens 9containing therein the metal to be annealed. The air supplying burnerholes 16, in each row of such holes, form the outlets for a plurality ofindividual air feeding passages 18 formed in the furnace base B and incommunication with a common air supply flue 19 likewise built in thefurnace base and designed to have air circulated therethrough from anysuitable source or supply. Likewise, the gas feeding burner holes 17 ineach row form the outlets of a plurality of individual gas feedingpassages 2O arranged vertically in the furnace base, and opening into acommon gas supply flue 21, extending longitudinally of the furnace baseand receiving a supply of gas from any suitable source. As plainly shownin the drawings, this arrangement of the passages and flues 18, 19, 20and 21 isv duplicated at the opposite sides of the furnace, and withinthe central portion of the furnace base the latter has formed therein acommon central draft flue 22 in communication with the stack connection23 and also in communication with a plurality of draft ducts 24 piercingthe furnace floor alon the longitudinal center thereof to provi e aplurality of outlet ports 25 between the vpair of ovens 9.

The furnace fioor 10 is provided therein with tracks or ways 26 of theusual form and which extend into the innerovens 9 and through both dooropenings 6 and 14, said tracks or ways being designed to support for ltravel thereon the truck upon which the metal to be annealed is piled.

The improved construction of furnace herein described entirely dispenseswith the ordinary way of charging the furnace by loading the metal intoan annealing box, and only re uires the piling of the metal on a plate,fa se bottom, or upon a truck which is slid into the oven compartment,after which the doors are closed and the furnace thus made ready forimmediate firing.

I claim:

1. In a furnace for annealing metal, a main "outer furnace casing closedupon all sides and provided with a pair of front door covered openings,a pair of inner closed 4annealing ovens having their walls builtdirectly on the main inside floor of the outer casing and spaced on allsides from the top, sides, and ends of the latter, said ovens being alsoarranged in spaced relation to each other with a clear unobstructedspace therebetween, and means for supplying heat to the outer sides ofthe two ovens from the floor of closed ovens built permanently withinthe outer casing directly on the floor thereof and spaced from eachother with an unobstructed space therebetween, and also spaced from thetop and walls of the outer casing, the outer wall of each oven arrangedalong side of a side row of said alternating air and burner holes.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

RICHARD n. WARD.

Witnesses:

C. C. Woonwon'rn, J. I. FRANCIS.

